


family

by ashotoflife



Category: SKAM Austin
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-05-29 17:59:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19405330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashotoflife/pseuds/ashotoflife
Summary: just a fluffy little graduation fic for ma boi daniel williamson





	family

The Class of 2019 couldn’t have gotten a better day to graduate. Clear skies, a pleasant breeze and 70 degree weather. For Texas in late spring, that kind of weather was an anomaly. And Daniel, for one, was grateful. With a last name like Williamson, Daniel had to wait awhile before his name was called but he’d rather that than be one of the first kids who were just sitting in their seats wondering what the hell they had to waste away the next two hours for when they already had their diplomas in hand. It looked like Jordan had even started up a game of paper football with the guy sitting next to him to pass the time. They had made it halfway through the last names starting with “T” so the faculty urged Daniel’s row to stand up and start to head over to the line by the front stage. 

When they hit the handful of Vs Daniel suddenly started to feel nervous. He wasn’t even sure why. No, that was bullshit. He knew why. Because for the last four years, Daniel knew his place in the order of things. Captain of the football team, Prom King, center of the school’s social scene. There was a surety here. A known. But the world outside of Bouldin High? Well, he wasn’t quite so sure where he fit out there. Not to mention here were his friends, his team and, of course, here is where she was. He was about to look up to see if he could spot Grace in the stadium but then he heard-

“Theresa Williams”

Panic struck him suddenly. He felt off kilter, like he was about to walk out onto tightrope when no one had shown him the trick to a balancing act. Daniel looked up into the crowds. There she was, standing up, grinning ear to ear. He didn’t know quite how that was. How in a crowd of hundreds of people he could spot her so easily. But hadn’t that always been the case? In a classroom, across a party, amongst thousands Daniel had always been able to find Grace, like there was something about her that just demanded to be seen.

“Daniel Williamson!”

The stadium of people and his peers surrounding him roared but he swore, he fucking swore he could hear her cheer stand out amongst the din. Daniel made his way up to the makeshift stage in the middle of the football field. The very field he’d had the time of his life on these past four years. He shook hands with the principal, vice principal, some woman he assumed was the superintendent. But he didn’t really care. He wasn’t really paying attention to them because suddenly he was holding his high school diploma. Not one to let the moment pass, Daniel turned to the stadium and thrust his diploma into the air in a very _Breakfast Club_ kinda way. The crowd cheered him on but all he saw was her and the way her eyes seemed to shine even from this distance. Eve standing next to her was blasting an actual blow horn which he was pretty sure had been banned from use at graduation several years ago.

On his way back to his seat, Daniel caught sight of Jo who had abandoned his game of paper football to reach over the disgruntled guy seated next to him and give Daniel a high five. Daniel reached his seat and waited for the last few students to be called itching to get out of his seat and kiss his girl. 

The principal said a few closing remarks before instructing the students to move their tassels. He handed the mic over to the class president.

“LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE CLASS OF 2019!!!”

Daniel and his friends stood up and tossed their caps into the air with a collective shout of joy, of freedom. In that moment they felt like one, truly united as they all fearlessly embraced the unknown together. Then the families began to descend from the stadiums and chaos erupted. Daniel was flooded by a sea of “congratulations!” coming from all sides. 

“We did it man!” Jo yelled at him, coming up to embrace him.

“Wasn’t sure you’d make it for a second there” Daniel joked. 

“You know I wouldn’t let you brave the big bad world on your own.” Daniel grinned and even though it was said in jest, Daniel felt it was true. Whatever happened next, he knew Jo was gonna have his back. 

“Daniel!” her voice rang out clear and strong. Just as he was turning towards it, she barreled into him. A blur of of blue. He caught her as she leapt into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. The smell of vanilla and roses washing over him. 

“Woah there” he laughed. Grace hugged him tightly. She pulled back just enough to kiss him. And even though they were in front of tons of people, parents and children, Grace was never one to do things half assed. When she kissed, she really kissed. It made him feel a little lightheaded. She pulled back to catch her breath and laughed against him. It reminded him of the first time they kissed. The giddiness of it. The sheer joy in that sensation of _finally._

“Hi” she said in that sweet, soft voice she reserved only for him. He leaned his forehead against hers, still holding her in his arms. 

“Hey.” For a moment they just stayed there, breathing one another in before she pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes. The sundress she had on made her blue eyes pop. They were the color of forget-me-nots and he was sure it was the prettiest damn thing he’d ever seen. She shook the hair out of her face and looked up at him with that earnest, serious expression she got sometimes (a lot of the time).

“I am so proud of you.”

Daniel couldn’t help himself. He leant in to kiss her again. 

“Alright, love birds. That’s enough of that.” Eve was smiling at them holding a bouquet of yellow roses. Daniel set Grace down. 

“Grace insisted we run to the grocery store and get you these.”

“Eve, don’t say that! You’re making it sound like it was a last minute gift.” Daniel laughed as Eve handed him the bouquet. 

“That’s because it was.”

“Thanks guys, you really didn’t have to” Daniel said but was grinning at the gesture all the same. 

“Yes we did. People get flowers when they graduate” Grace insisted looking at him, a mixture of pride and adoration shining in her eyes. Daniel didn’t even bother schooling his expression of awe as he looked back at her. Sometimes he really couldn’t believe that she was real. 

“D, my parents wanna take a photo!” Jo shouted over to him, a few feet away. Mr. Diaz came up and shook his hand. 

“Congratulations son.”

“Thank you.”

Jordan’s mom hugged him. “We’re so proud of you boys” she said as she pulled back. “Now come on, let’s get a few pictures.”

Daniel and Jordan each wrapped an arm around the other as Frida pulled out her phone and took several hundred pictures. Eve, who had brought a legit camera with her also began taking pictures and Daniel tried not to laugh out loud at the sight. When they finished, Daniel said a quick goodbye to the Diaz’s and assured Jo he’d see him at the party later tonight. 

“Okay, now one of you and Grace” Eve directed. 

“Eve” Grace protested but Daniel grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back into his chest.

“Come on, loser. One photo isn’t gonna hurt you.” Grace rolled her eyes and but relented, leaning back into him, taking his hands in her hers and pulling them tighter around her waist. They smiled for the camera before Daniel leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. 

“Ugh you guys are so cute it makes me wanna vomit.” Grace just rolled her eyes in response before pulling away from Daniel. 

“Eve, I’m gonna ride with Daniel. We’ll meet you back at the house.”

“Okay, I know when I’m not wanted.” Eve tossed up her hands in a gesture of ‘surrender.’ “I’ll see you back home.”

After Eve left, Grace turned back to Daniel. Putting her arms around his neck. She had grown a little more serious. She tilted her head in the direction of the stands. “You okay?” It was clear what she was referring to. Daniel’s father was still in New York on business. His mother hadn’t been able to pull herself out of her drunken stupor long enough to make it to the ceremony. And his brother wasn’t invited for obvious reasons. And even though it was days like today that made Daniel feel as hollow as a tin soldier, his heart wasn’t breaking. The thing about heartbreak, Daniel had learned, was that it required an element of surprise. And there were no surprises here. 

Daniel gave Grace a terse nod. Grace reached up with one hand and started to smooth out his hair, running her fingers through it. She did that from time to time and it always had this way of making Daniel feel like a little kid again. It reminded him of a different time, when his mom actually felt like a mom and his family was really a family. It was oddly comforting but Grace’s focus on his hair seemed pointed. Her jaw was clenched like she was trying to stay in control. When her lip started to tremble, Daniel suddenly understood she was trying not to cry. Grace Olsen was trying not to cry and it made his heart shatter a little. He took one of his hands from her waist and pressed his thumb down on her trembling lower lip. That got her attention. She looked him in the eyes again and visibly swallowed. 

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m all good, Grace. A girl as beautiful as you crying for me? I’m counting my lucky stars.” Grace tried for a smile but her eyes glistened and Daniel felt a pang in his chest. Grace didn’t cry easy. “Hey” he said softly as he reached forward and leaned his forehead against hers. “Hey, stop that now. It’s okay. You’re here. I wasn’t expecting them.” He pulled back a little, cupping her face in his hands, a smile playing at his lips. “Such a loser.” She gave a watery chuckle at that, her hands coming to rest on either side of his neck. She looked up at him, those beautiful shining eyes. He didn’t think he ever get over that. The way Grace looked up at him whenever she was feeling unsteady, her eyes big and wide and brilliantly blue. She looked so innocent like that, helplessly pure. She sobered slightly and her expression changed to one Daniel was quite familiar with. That fierce look when she was about to say something he _needed_ to hear.

“You’re _my_ family. And I’m yours. ‘Kay?” All in all, Daniel felt like he’d kept his emotions fairly in check the entire day but he felt his throat tighten at that. He didn’t trust himself to respond so he just nodded and hugged her to him, burying his face in her neck, releasing what felt like a long held and shaky breath. He could feel her release something as well. Like a weight lifting off her shoulders. With Grace it had always felt like this. Since the beginning, being with her felt like coming home. 

Daniel wasn’t sure about much. There was college and moving away to Dallas in the fall, his fucked up parents and asshole of a brother, the impending separation from his friends . . . in the face of the end of his life as he knew it, everything felt pretty uncertain. But there was one thing he was sure of, one thing he knew he could count on.

_His saving Grace._


End file.
